In a campaign to expand the scope of the revolution in various regions of Kurdistan, the Peshmerga Forces were able to take control of the Nahla Plain, the villages of the Zebar region, and the Dinarta district up to (Sari-Jabal) Akre and the Bekhma Valley. The presence of a police battalion in the center of the Nahla sub-district could not resist the Peshmerga, and the army did not help them, so they were forced to flee to Akre. All administrative, military, and police apparatuses and government agents (Jash) left the region and took refuge in Akre. There were only a few clashes in (Sari-Jabal) Akre, which had little effect on the Peshmerga's advance. However, warplanes bombed the Peshmerga forces, resulting in the martyrdom of 8 Peshmerga.
To organize the battle fronts and manage the region, the leader of the revolution, Barzani, ordered the appointment of Hassan Mirxan Dolamari as commander of the Sheikhan and Akre forces, who established his headquarters in the (Sharman) cave. His army reached 400 Peshmerga because the revolution was the only hope for liberating the homeland. Therefore, a large number of them contacted the revolution little by little and took up the Peshmerga weapon. Malla Shani Bidaruni and Omar Agha Dolamari were also appointed as heads of (Sari-Jabal) Akre, and after that, Barzani and his forces left for Soran.
From the month of April 1962 to July of the same year, daily battles continued in and around (Sari-Jabal) Akre. During this period, the region became a stronghold for many great epics and the Peshmerga's defense of the achievements of the revolution from Sari-Jabal Akre to the Zanta Valley and the Sharman cave, reaching the surroundings of Mariba, Rifkan, Baadre, and the surroundings of Duhok, which were subjected daily to airstrikes and attacks by the army and agents (Jash).
On Thursday, 3 March 1962, a large force of the army and mobile police and 2000 agents (Jash) from the Herki, Surji, and Zebari tribes, supported by (12) armored vehicles under artillery fire and bombing by MiG aircraft and all types of weapons, attacked the Peshmerga positions near the villages of Kharba, Shush, Sharman, and Bakraman in the vicinity of Akre, and set fire to the village of Samaquq and its surroundings, resulting in the martyrdom of about 10 civilians, women, and children. But because their plan was revealed through telegrams and government communications with their military commanders, the Peshmerga were able to confront them, kill a large number of them, defeat their attack, and return them to their previous places.
It is clear that the government intended to reach the Barzan region and draw the border between Soran and Badinan and separate them from each other. It was also believed that the key to reaching Barzan was Sari-Jabal Akre and the Zanta Valley to Bekhma, so that it could deal a fatal blow to the revolution and disrupt it. But it not only failed to implement its plan and reach the mountains, hills, and valleys in the region; it also suffered heavy losses. To the point that they did not even have the courage to fight the Peshmerga again. Therefore, they resorted to bombing the Peshmerga positions and the villages of the region to compensate for their failures. In addition to fighting and defending itself, the Peshmerga forces organized commando detachments. And they attacked convoys and headquarters deep within the government.
Among the commando operations was the attack on the Akre fortress, where the commander (Malla Shani Bidaruni) decided to equip every force of (3) Peshmerga to carry out the operation. After arriving at the intended place, they besieged the fortress, and a battle began that lasted for six hours from 10 PM until 4 AM, but the Peshmerga returned to their place before dawn.
On Thursday, 10 May 1962, from early morning until late evening, bombers and attack aircraft intensively bombed the Peshmerga positions around the villages of Nahla Valley, Shush, Sharman, Kundak, and Bakraman. This caused severe damage to the villages of the region and led to the martyrdom of 3 Peshmerga and the wounding of 7 others.
As a result of these battles, the damage to the state was so great that the bodies of dozens of soldiers were left on the battlefield and fell into the hands of the Peshmerga. Therefore, the soldiers' morale collapsed and their defensive capabilities were significantly weakened.
In 8 February 1963, the Baathists led by Abd al-Salam Arif overthrew the government of Abd al-Karim Qasim, and the fighting stopped for three months and negotiations began between the revolution and the Baathists, but without any positive results. Rather, the Iraqi government resumed its attacks on the revolution's areas in 10 June 1963, but this time the Iraqi Army prepared itself to fight the Kurds with a different technique and a more destructive plan, and their plan was to ask for help from the Syrian state to cross the border so that they could end the Kurdish revolution in a short time.
According to an agreement between the two countries, 400 soldiers from the Syrian Yarmouk Force led by Colonel Fahd al-Shaer entered Kurdistan and established their headquarters in Zakho and participated in military operations against the revolutionaries' areas in Akre and other places. They began a wide attack on the Peshmerga positions, and the Peshmerga decided to fight under the title of survival or annihilation. And it was able to deal them fatal blows and forced them to retreat.
But after a week they launched another wider attack and the Peshmerga continued to defend, although the armies of the two countries had 96 dead soldiers and agents (Jash) and 132 wounded and a number of prisoners. The number of martyrs reached (5) and (17) wounded among the Peshmerga forces. But due to the lack of ammunition and the exhaustion of the Peshmerga in the battles in the past few months, in addition to considering the interests of the citizens so that they would not be harmed more than necessary, it was very difficult to fight the armies of the two countries at the same time on the other hand, the Peshmerga forces decided to retreat to the heights of Sari-Jabal Akre and strengthen their positions in Mount Bires and establish a strong defense line.
Sources:1- Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement, Volume Three, Part One, Aylul Revolution 1961-1975, Ed: First 2004.
2- Shawkat Malla Ismail Hassan, Days in the History of the Aylul Revolution, First Edition, Erbil, 2007.
3- Ghazi Adel Gardi, A Peshmerga in the Service of the Barzani Path, Haji Birokhi, Volume One, Second Edition, Turkey, 2021.
4- Hozhin Masoud Sarni, The Aylul Revolution in the Bahdinan Region 1061-1975, First Edition, 2018.
5- Wali Zubair Hostani, Some Events and Incidents in the Barzan Revolutions and Uprisings, Ed: First, Rojhalat Printing House, Erbil, 2017.
6- Ari Karim, Some Living Pages in the Aylul Revolution, Khabat Printing House, Duhok 1999.
7- Ibrahim Jalal, South Kurdistan and the Aylul Revolution, Building and Collapse, 1961-1975. Fourth Edition, 2021.
8- Haji Mirxan Dolamari, Searching for Justice, Volume One, Second Edition, Isra Printing House, Tehran, 2021.